Like a Waterfall in Slow Motion
by NoMatterHowMuchYouFeedTheWolf
Summary: "Sometimes, I explain, it's hard to tell the difference between the ones who love you and the ones who will eat you alive."
1. Chapter 1

There was a bizarre beauty to Gotham City, at first glance it was a gloomy and depressing city with a crime problem that made Bludhaven seem like a refuge. Outsiders naturally assumed that whoever lived there by freewill had to be insane.

If you survived there long enough though, one begins to see Gotham in a different light. There was an otherworldliness to it with its red skies and alleyways like dirty asphalt labyrinths. How the old stone buildings with their gargoyles that morphed into gothic looking fortress in the moonlight. You could spend your life traveling across the planet, yet you would never find another place akin to it.

None of its inhabitants were deluded enough to deny it wasn't a crime ridden hellhole, but they still refused to give up on their city, because they had something better than light and shining silver towers that littered cities like Metropolis that kept their hopes up.

They had the Batman.

He was their watchful shadow that loomed over the cities criminals and protected the innocent. As long as he was around, the citizens felt the chaos that naturally occurred in the city could never truly win.

One of the cities many inhabitants, Carmody Reynolds, set down the red fondant rose she had been painting with edible gold dust and stretched her arms. Glancing up at the clock on the pastel pink wall, she smiled to herself. As soon as she was done with the other petals she'd be free to go home and pass out of her tiny bed.

She had been working at The Sweet Shop on Monolith Square for almost two years now, and aside from when she had to get up at four-thirty for the morning shift, it was the perfect job. No matter what mood they were in when they came in, costumers always left with a smile on their face.

That was one of the reason was why Carmody was so passionate about food. Just smelling a well cooked meal or baked goody could lift peoples spirits the instantly or remind them of fond memories of a family member and their homemade meals.

"Decorations are looking good." Sasha, Carmody's aqua haired coworker, complemented as she passed by on her way to grab a fondant smoother and a knife.

Despite having multiple facial and ear piercings, Sasha had an air of sophistication to her that most people lacked. And she was enjoyable to work alongside, with her easy smile and almost non-existent temper. Occasionally the two girls went out for drinks or to the movies after work or when one of them was having a rough day.

"Thanks, but I'd prefer to trade with Margie and work the front register. She's better at sculpting the fondant flowers anyway."

With that they both went back to focusing on their tasks at hand, wanting to be done for the day. When Carmody was done dusting the other roses she handed them over to Sasha to decorate the three tier display cake the other girl had just covered in white fondant.

After cleaning her station and the utensils she had been using, Carmody untied her black apron and exchanged it with her purse that was hanging on the row of coat hooks. Her phone was flashing from the inside of her bag with a text that read, _What time are you getting off of work? I'm already at Kebabish._

Shit, she had forgotten she was supposed to have dinner with Chris tonight. After throwing a quick goodbye to her coworker, Carmody quickly left and rushed off to the restaurant.

A few months after moving to Gotham Carmody found herself boyfriend-less and alone. She was trying to drown her sorrows in overly sweet coffee and biscotti in a small café when a cinnamon skinned man sat down in the seat across from her.

He smiled as he propped his elbows on the tiny white table and rested his head on his knuckles, and proceeded to ask her why she looked so sad. Carmody had never met anyone as nice or innocently curious as Chris, and at some point in the four hour conversation they had that day became deeply attached to him.

oOo

"I hate it when you do things like this, Chris. Please don't pay for my dinner." Carmody said as she continued to pull her wallet from her dusty rose colored bag.

Finished with their meal, the waiter had brought them their bill, which Chris immediately grabbed before she could even protest. As he pulled out his credit card, Chris frowned at her words and Carmody couldn't help but feel slightly bad for whining at him.

Thinking they were just another couple having an insignificant argument about paying, their waiter gave them a cheery smile and took the leather booklet containing the card. "It's so sweet when your man actually pays, take my advice and enjoy it while it lasts sweetie."

Neither Carmody nor Chris corrected her assumption and just smiled politely in return. The pair went right back to their conversation as soon as the waiter turned away to leave.

"I know you've been on this whole independent kick lately, and trust me, its way better than your moping phase, but its okay to accept help every now and then. Things aren't great financially for you right now, the least you can do is let your best friend of over two years to buy you dinner."

"It's not that I don't appreciate it, I really do, I'm just frustrated with myself. I'm twenty-four years old and I'm living in a shitty apartment with a job that barely pays the bills as is and my landlord just raised the rent. It's pathetic."

"The only thing that's pathetic about your situation was you not reading contract word for word before you signed it. How much longer do you have on the lease?"

"I still have another six months left. At the rate I'm going I feel like I'm going to spend all my life barely scraping by and then die without ever really accomplishing anything." Carmody sighed as she absentmindedly stirred her water with her straw.

A moment of silence fell between the two, but then a playful grin began to grow across Chris's face. "You know what you need?"

Carmody just raised an eyebrow at his inquiry.

"A sugar daddy."

There was a moment of silence at the suggestion between the pair before they burst into raucousness laughter. A few of the people at nearby tables glanced over at them in curiosity or annoyance, but their looks went unnoticed.

Once she calmed down, Carmody cleared her throat a little then said, "While I admit things would be easier financially if I did have a partner, I can't say that's the kind of relationship I'm looking for."

As soon as the last words came out of her mouth she regretted them. Chris's eyes lit up at the word relationship. Once again though their conversation was put on hold, their waiter was back with Chris's card and receipt. As she left she wished them both a pleasant night, which they chimed back to her.

Before Chris could even think about saying what had been about to declare before their waiter showed up, Carmody cut him off.

"No, I didn't mean that I'm ready to go out man hunting or that I want to go on a blind date with that one guy from your class. I want to get my life together before I even attempt at any of that again." She told him sternly.

"Fine, but you're missing out, Dillon's pretty hot." Chris grumbled. "Back to the serious stuff now, how's the hunt for a second job going?" When all Carmody answered with was a sigh, he grimaced. "Not so well I'm guessing."

"I've sent my résumé to the couple of places I found that were hiring, but I've yet to hear anything back. I was kinda thinking about maybe looking into some scholarship programs and taking some business courses or something, but that's just me dreaming. Even if I did qualify for any of them I still wouldn't have enough to go to school and keep up with rent and groceries."

"Just hang in there, I'm sure something will come up soon." Chris said as he took his credit card out from the leather book. Carmody just watched him look over the receipts and sign the one for the restaurant, not knowing what to say to his reassurance.

"So did you hear that Black Canary took down some street thugs last night? She hasn't been spotted in the city for weeks, I was starting to think Batman drove her out."

A chuckle escaped from the dark haired brunette's lips at the sudden topic change, Chris followed the stories about the superheroes and vigilantes alike as if they were movie stars.

"No, I was unaware of your favorite heroine's latest exploits." Carmody said, her voice full of playful mockery.

"She's not my favorite, Wonder Woman is. A good friend would have known this by now."

"The one that dresses up in the strapless leotard with go-go boots and tiara? Ugh, she is the _worst_."

Before he could even start rebuking her for that comment, Carmody grasped Chris's right hand with her two smaller ones and softly told him, "Thank you Chris, for dinner and cheering me up. I don't know what I'd do without you."

oOo

Saying Carmody's apartment was small was an understatement. The front door opened into the living room with a tiny kitchen area to the left of it. Past the living room was a small hallway that that contained doorways to her bedroom, bathroom, and a small linen closet.

Carmody collapsed on her bed with a newspaper and highlighter in hand. Laszlo, her Australian shepherd, jumped up next to her and snuggled into her red comforter. Carmody opened the paper to the jobs section and started scanning for one that's fit her credentials.

There were openings at the Gotham National Bank, nursing positions, more therapists needed at Arkham Asylum, more police needed at the GCPD, all things she didn't qualify for and didn't really want to. Insurance Sales Representative?

That was a maybe. She didn't have the experience they wanted but could probably charm her way through the interview well enough to get the position. She circled that add then continued searching through the paper. Next to her Laszlo sighed as he rolled over onto his back.

"I know this is boring sweetie, but mommy needs more income so she can afford food _and_ shelter for us." Carmody said as she glanced out of the corner of her eye at the dog and scratched his stomach. She turned back to her task and chuckled as Laszlo whined when she stopped scratching him.

"You're so spoiled." she muttered.

It was just crap, crap, crap, and more crap as her eyes scanned through the listings. Carmody was about to set the paper aside and just go to bed when an ad at the very bottom of the paper caught her eye. A part time clerk needed at Baudelaire plant shop? Maybe not the most exciting of jobs, but she knew that there was a good possibility it could fit in her with her other jobs schedule.

Only downside was that it was located in Park Row near the old Monarch Theater, and there was a reason that part of the city was nicknamed Crime Alley. Might as well check it out though, since she was sure she wouldn't be walking around there alone at night.

oOo

Carmody circled the ad and placed the paper next to her cell phone on her white nightstand. Tomorrow morning she'd call and set up an appointment, she had a very good feeling about this one.

The shrill sound of her alarm clock startled Carmody from her slumber. She rolled over and blindly reached around for the snooze button and shut the machine up with a violent slap as soon as she found it. It was far too early to be waking up on her day off, but she rolled out of bed anyway and made her way slowly into her tiny yellow bathroom.

Flipping on the lights, Carmody stumbled over to the shower and switched on the spout. After cleaning herself off and brushing her teeth, Carmody strolled into the kitchen and greeted Lazlo, who was impatiently waiting by his food bowl.

"I know Lazzy, I'm a terrible mother who never feeds you on time." said Carmody as she scooped out some dog food and filled her pets bowl. Laszlo ignored her comment and dove for the plastic container holding the smelly food. Carmody stepped around him and made her way to her fridge, intent on making herself some scrambled eggs.

After she was finished with her breakfast and set her dishes in the sink, Carmody picked her phone up off of her coffee table and sat down on her worn brown couch. Nervousness began to pool in her stomach and Carmody took a deep breath and dialed the number she had jotted down from the newspaper ad.

The phone rang for a few moments that felt more like minutes, until someone finally answered the other line.

"Baudelaire flower shop, how may I help you?" A slightly irritated female voice asked; despite the irritation there was a natural sultriness to the voices tone.

"Hi, I'm calling about the job add that was posted in the Gotham Times. My name Carmody Reynolds, by the way."

"Alright, be at the shop in two hours."

"For an interview?"

"Yes, _for an interview_." The woman's voice was curt and annoyed.

Great, her potential employer was already cross with her. Carmody was halfway through thanking the woman when her phone beeped, alerting her that the call had been ended.

Well that was rude.

"Still, a job's a job even if the shop owner is a moody witch," Carmody muttered to herself as she got up and tossed her phone on the couch. Walking over to the tiny coat closest that was to the left of the apartment door, she grabbed the leash that was hanging on the door handle.

"C'mon Laszlo, we have just enough time to go for a quick walk before I have to get ready!"

The white and butterscotch dog jumped up to his feet at her words and eagerly rushed over to his owner. Carmody fumbled as she tried to clasp the green leash around Laszlo's collar, said dog could barely hold still from excitement. When she finally got it to hook Carmody grabbed her keys off the living room coffee table and was out the door.

**An: So this is a repost of something I ****attempted a year ago. I've made some changes to the plot (also to my username) and am pretty excited to be back writing. ****I'd greatly appreciate any reviews letting me know what you think, or even asking when the next chapter will be out. I wont lie, it keeps me motivated! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**An: **_**_The way I write the characters is not only influenced by the games, but also the comics and animated series as well. If anyone would be willing to beta this story I would appreciate it immensely, please let me know in the reviews if you're up for it! _**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Midtown Gotham was like any other big city in early spring. Even with the temperature rising and life beginning anew, the minimal greenery in front of the apartment buildings and in the parks were not enough to contest with the grey of the city. Or the increased crime rate.

An Australian shepherd tried to pull its female owner in the direction they normally took, which led Colgate Park. He sent his mistress a confused look when she ignored his heave and started walking in the other direction instead.

"Not today buddy, I don't have enough time to take our normal route," Carmody told the dog.

Lazlo shook off his confusion and quickly trotted after her. As they walked past the drab office and apartment buildings on the block, Carmody began losing herself in her thoughts. It'd been two years since her move from Cruces, New Mexico to Gotham City. It'd been over seven months since her breakup with the man she left New Mexico for.

She had met William Jennings when he was working on his bachelor degree and she her culinary degree. He was a nice enough guy, decent looking and fairly intelligent. Their courtship could never have been considered a passionate romance, but it was comfortable. They had been together for nearly two years when he received the letter saying he had been accepted to Gotham State University's law program, and he immediately asked Carmody to make the move with him.

Carmody's first instinct had been to say no, she had absolutely no desire to leave and go to Gotham. But she said accepted his proposal anyway. After all, she had a good thing going with William, why would she give it up then just because she was afraid to leave the only town she'd ever known? They were fairly happy, and the next step was sure to be marriage, most girls would kill to have been in her shoes.

A few weeks after the move, she began to see less and less of Will. When he wasn't spending hours upon hours studying, he was with his new friends, leaving her to sit in the apartment by herself at night. That's when things started to head downhill.

Carmody had realized that moving would be hard, and that it would take a toll on their relationship, but she hadn't realized just how devastating it would be. There was no one she could turn to or rely on, the loneliness she felt in the vast city was crippling, and when she tried to confide in her partner all he did was brush her aside.

At the time part of her felt like she was being selfish. He was busy with school, and while she could admit that was far more important than their relationship, people still don't ignore their partner when they're upset. It wasn't long before Carmody began resenting Will for asking her to make the move with him when all he did was disregard her.

When every conversation they morphed into petty arguments and accusations, she knew it was over. There'd be no rekindling their relationship; three years of her life had gone right down the drain. Despite the knowledge, she tried to make it work for a few more months, but it was useless. She finally accepted that throughout their lives people change, and she and William didn't change together.

They formally went their separate ways, him keeping the nice apartment close to the college campus and her keeping the dog. In the end Carmody felt she got the better deal.

Carmody's parents had of course wanted their daughter to move back to Cruces, but instead she used her limited savings and found herself and Lazlo a tiny apartment in Midtown. Leaving Gotham felt like it would be the same as admitting defeat, and she was _not_ going to let a little thing like a breakup conquer her.

The next few weeks hadn't been easy though, between the bouts of crying and depression that follows a breakup, Carmody was a mess. Gradually life began to feel better though, she adjusted to her job and starting making friends in the city. She began to like living in Gotham, what other city could claim they had a man who dressed up as a bat and had a clown as his arch enemy?

Laszlo's sudden bark shook Carmody back to reality. A young tabby cat had appeared from behind a dumpster in an ally a few yards away, and Laszlo was intent on giving it a piece of his mind.

"It's just a cat, sweetie. Leave the poor thing alone." She halfheartedly scolded him as she turned around to head back to the apartment. He shot her a look that clearly said 'It's not my fault you're too stupid to realize how dangerous that thing is', but followed her anyway.

Fifteen minutes later Carmody was rummaging through her closest trying to decide what to wear. Almost everything she owned was either considered too casual or too formal for an interview. God she really needed to get a nice pair of dress pants for occasions like this, it was just too bad she could never find them on sale anywhere. There was also the issue of what shoes to wear…flats weren't considered to be too casual for job interviews, were they?

After inspecting and tossing aside most of her clothes, Carmody ended up deciding on a black elbow length blouse paired with an ash colored A-line skirt, and a pair of black three inch heels. Grabbing her bag which held her résumé and keys, she kissed Laszlo goodbye, promised that she'd be back soon, and locked her apartment door behind her.

oOo

Park Row was not the kind of place most people would want to live. Even in the daylight, the entire area had a seedy feel to it. Most of the businesses and apartments were either rundown or abandoned, trash and broken bottles littered the alleyways and scattered the sidewalks, and there were multiple bars and on every block.

As she pulled up to Baudelaire's, Carmody wasn't too thrilled to notice one of the alleyways next the shop led to a small casino with a strip club next to it. Yep, there was no way she would take the job if the owner wanted her to stay on this side of town any later than six o'clock.

After parallel parking against the curb and getting out of her car, Carmody examined the flower shop before entering it. It was a two story brick building, with a simple but very pretty red and gold sign. What made the shop stand out from all the surrounding buildings were the flowers in the display window. Instead of roses or tulips like one would expect to see, there were exotic flower bouquets that were an array of vibrant colors.

Carmody particularly liked the small, almost star-looking flowers whose pastel colors merged together, as if blended by a gifted painter. Realizing she had been standing in front of the shop for far too long, Carmody took a deep breath and walked inside. A small bell chimed softly as she opened the door, and the sweet smell of fresh flowers hit her full force.

"I saw you admiring my plumerias outside, I was wondering when you'd finally meander in," the same voice from the phone yesterday called out to Carmody. All the scenarios that had been running through her head during the drive over could never prepare Carmody for the woman who was standing behind the glass counter towards the back of the room.

The pictures they showed of her on the news didn't do Poison Ivy any justice whatsoever. Even with her green complexion, the crimson haired woman was breathtakingly beautiful. And despite being fully covered in a white button up shirt and black trousers, her curvy figure was still attention-grabbing.

"Not who you were expecting, honey?" Ivy asked as her green lips spread into a wicked smile across her face. "You don't know how much it hurts a girl when everyone she meets wants to scream and run the other direction, especially now that I've turned over a new leaf."

There was something in the tone of Ivy's voice, layered underneath the sarcasm, which caught Carmody's interest and made her drop all the thoughts of fleeing the floral shop. What she was hearing, she couldn't quite decide.

It wasn't desperation, everything about the woman screamed assuredness, but there was something amiss there.

If what the plant vixen was telling Carmody was true and she really did give up on her criminal ways, that meant she left behind what little friends and life she once had. She may have been strong-willed and cynical, but that still must have penetrated even her iron heart.

Ivy had made no move to attack or hurt her with any of the numerous plants in the room. Besides her playful mockery, she hadn't even been rude, really. And Carmody highly doubted opening a floral shop was part of some nefarious scheme, Batman would've figured it out and thrown Ivy in Arkham already.

Maybe she really _was_ trying to leave her criminal past behind her make an honest living for herself.

But even if Poison Ivy was trying to change, was it really worth possibly risking her safety to work in the same shop as the other woman, to have her as a boss? If their roles were reversed, Carmody knew she would want somebody to take the chance on her. And she could really use the extra money, the least she could do was give this interview a shot.

After all, what's life without a few risks?

As Carmody wrestled with her internal debate, Ivy silently watched her with her lips upturned in a crooked smile. Her amusement morphed into bewilderment though when the other woman walked up to the counter, instead of out the door. With an eyebrow raised Ivy stated, "Well, this is a surprise."

Yes, yes it was. Carmody's heart palpitations were causing her ears to pound, and she had to keep reminding herself to breathe evenly. "Hi, I'm here for the interview we spoke about earlier this morning."

While the sentence could have come out more eloquently, Carmody was just glad her voice didn't crack or shake.

"I assume you have your résumé with you," Ivy said as she rested her head on her hands. Carmody nodded and pulled out the folder it was in from her bag. She took out the paper in question from the folder and timorously held out to the other woman. Poison Ivy just grinned and demurely took the file.

As Ivy began to glance over it, Carmody took in a better look at her surroundings. To the left and right of her the walls were lined with refrigerators holding countless amounts of flowers, and on top of those fridges was even more greenery. What was visible of the walls were painted a pleasant crème color. Behind the counter there was a staircase and a doorway to the left, which Carmody supposed served as a stock room or where Ivy prepared the flowers.

In the middle of the shop there was a hip height shelving unit that looked like a miniature staircase, and every level was covered in the most elaborate floral bouquets she had ever seen. Each bouquet was in an elegant, rounded glass vase, some of which had decorative stones at the bottom. Carmody knew some of the flowers that were in the vases, like roses, carnations, and daisies, but the majority were ones she had never seen before.

Her attention turned back to Poison Ivy, and the other woman smiled. It wasn't the same condescending smirk from earlier, but Carmody still couldn't say that it was pleasant looking.

Unsure if the silence meant she was supposed to say something first, Carmody opened her mouth to speak up, but Ivy beat her to it. "I have to admit I'm rather impressed, none of the other applicants managed to make it this far. Tell me, what's your name?"

"Carmody Reynolds."

She'd have known that if she'd actually been paying attention during their phone conversation.

"So, Carmody darling, I expect you to be punctual every morning and to stay here until I tell you it's time to go. Your job will mainly be cleaning and dealing with the clientele. Never touch or handle the plants unless I order you to. Think you can remember all that?"

The patronizing tone in her voice was very clear as Ivy spoke, and Carmody narrowed her eyes at the older woman.

It was apparent that Ivy was challenging her. There was no doubt in her mind that working alongside the notorious ex-criminal would be testing, to say the least. Her pride was on line though, and Carmody would be damned before she walked away without it.

"I think I can manage that," Carmody replied with an impish smile.

Poison Ivy gave her a hard look for a few moments, and then shrugged her shoulders, "I don't expect you'll last long, but you'll do for now."

To that Carmody just smiled again.

As they negotiated what days she'd be working and what her hours would be, Carmody wondered how she would ever get use to working around the other woman. She didn't even know the proper way to address her. She got the feeling calling her Poison Ivy all the time would not be welcomed.

After they finished with the negotiations, Carmody finally worked up the courage to ask, "What should I call you, by the way? Just boss, Ivy, or…?"

Ivy paused, her eyes suddenly losing their self-assurance at the seemingly simple question. But just as quickly as she lost it, she regained her composure and smiled coyly, "Pam will do just fine."

"Alright then Pam, I'm looking forward to Saturday." Carmody said as she stood up and began putting her résumé back into her bag.

To that the red haired woman said nothing. Normally this was when Carmody would shake hands with someone after a successful interview, but she could tell Pam was quite content with just a brief goodbye.

Carmody could feel Ivy's eyes follow her as she made her way out of the shop, and it almost made her loose her nerve. Just as she was about to push open the glass door though, Carmody paused and called over her shoulder, "I'm choosing to trust you, please don't make me regret it."

She didn't wait to see if her words had amused or annoyed the other woman. Carmody quickly exited the shop and made her to her car, avoiding eye contact with the few other civilians on the sidewalk. When she got into her car she let out the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding, and rested her head on the steering wheel.

Chris was going to be _livid_ with her when she told him.

* * *

_**An: **_**_Yeah, I know. Still no Ra's! We're getting there though; he's going to show up in the next chapter or two now that we're all done with the obligatory back story. Once again, thank you for reading and I'd love it if you'd let me know what you think of the story so far!_**


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